Preview

Bhagavad Gita

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1207 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Bhagavad Gita
Examining the Bhagavad-Gita

Before examining the Bhagavad-Gita I believe it is necessary to have a general understand of the fundamental teaching of Hinduism. I have some knowledge of Hinduism from friends, but really have no understanding of what it really means to be Hindu. The comment that a Hindu friend of mind made to me once about Hindu is that it is not really as much of a religion as much it is a way of life and respect for it. I know that Hindi worship many different gods and revere some animals as sacred, but I have never really understood the fundamental of this religion. I am grateful that this assignment has given me the opportunity and motivation to examine the Hindu religion and one of it great literary works.

The first thing
…show more content…
The Bhagavad Gita is widely known and renowned work of India 's spiritual wisdom. The Gita has seven hundred concise verses that are a definitive guide to the science of self realization within the universe and the Braham-Atman. The story of Bhagavad begins with Krishna driving Arjuna 's chariot into the middle of a battlefield. The battle was between Duryodhana (Pandavas) and Arjuna (Kauaravas) for the right to rule the country. The Gita if full of symbolism; everything represents or stands for something. The battle represents the struggle between good and evil. This would relate to the inner struggle that we all have within ourselves of our good and bad character …show more content…
The Gita contains 18 chapters with each having numerous versus. After personally reading the Gita I have been emotionally and intellectually moved. The setting of the story and the even the personal anguish of Arjuna is enough to gain ones interest on the surface. Once the symbolism and the deeper meaning that are represent it truly becomes a lyrical piece of literature. The piece of literature is phenomenal and to think it was written thousands of years ago. This just shows that Humans still struggle with the same issues as one thousands of years ago. We may of advance technological, but intellectually we are still

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Best Essays

    ASIA 398 Term Paper

    • 3199 Words
    • 8 Pages

    From ancient Greece, India, Pre-modern China to feudal Japan, there is a treasure trove of literature and epics from the ancient times available to us. Each is valued for having contributed to the way society thinks today. These literary masterpieces have shaped our ideas about human life and spiritual growth and have sparked riveting debates about the existence of God and the importance of spirituality. Among these great works of art is the Ramayana, a tale where Dharma, or right-conduct, pervades throughout. Though the Ramayana is set in an era far different from our own, several of the values, events and teachings are still relevant today. Many of the situations that take place in the epic relate to the issues we face in today’s society. In this paper, I will use various mediums to prove the Ramayana’s relevance in our modern world. I will begin by discussing the Hindu philosophy of Vedanta and its relation to my thesis. Then, I will discuss the values of the Ramayana in comparison to the other literary works of India, namely the Mahabharata. I will continue by analyzing the effect and impact of the Ramayana on Asia and Asian religions. I will then briefly discuss the doctrine of Jivatma and Paramatma in relation to the Ramayana and present day society. Following this, I will discuss the value systems present in the Ramayana as well as how they support or oppose the value systems seen in Western and Eastern society today. Next, I will discuss the role of the Bhagavad Gita in explaining and supporting the Ramayana’s value systems, as well as the impact the work has had on society today. Finally, I will close by talking about the notion of Dharma vs. Adharma, and the idea of globalization in comparison to Valmiki’s great epic.…

    • 3199 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Better Essays

    Bhagavad Gita Sparknotes

    • 1366 Words
    • 6 Pages

    That liberation is not possible for those who remain amidst in themselves. A person can only overcome the limitations of ones’ own desires through the path of self-discipline and a calmness of mind. Only a balanced mind can establish a union with God and…

    • 1366 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Hindus lead a sacred life in India from 300 to 1100 C.E. Hinduism permeated the lives of the India’s people, and during this time, a huge devotional movement has been developed. The Hindu religion made it possible for anyone to reach God. The rule was for the people in India to hold accountable toward all religions.…

    • 1821 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Bhagavad Gita Analysis

    • 651 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In the Bhagavad-Gita, Vishnu presents three qualities of nature that are bind within a person’s inner self, atman, which are sattva, rajas, and tamas. In the Bhagavad-Gita translated by Barabara Stoler Miller, she translated in the fourteenth teaching, verse five, that sattva, rajas, and tamas were lucidity, passion, and dark inertia respectively. The first quality of nature, sattva, is portrayed as the good and light in humans. However, according to the Merriam-Webster, lucidity means the clearness of thought or style. I believe that the usage of the word lucidity has less impact and focus on the good nature of humans but more on the clearness and one-dimensional thought of being neither good nor evil. The second…

    • 651 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Bibliography: Knott, Kim (2000), Hinduism: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press. P.5-6 (June 15, 2000)…

    • 1688 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Rosen, Steven J. Hinduism. 10th ed. Vol. 6. Westport: Greenwood, 2006. Print. Introduction to the World 's Major Religions.…

    • 1546 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Best Essays

    Unreached Peoples Project

    • 4982 Words
    • 20 Pages

    There are many different people in the world today with a varied view of religion. There are perhaps thousands of religious belief sets throughout the world. In the workplace we are confronted with individuals from all walks of life, cultures and religions. There is a woman that I work with by the name of Kiran. She is of Indian descent and I have had the good fortune to become close to her and share the gospel of my God. She is always kind and listens to me preach to her without judgment or condemnation.…

    • 4982 Words
    • 20 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Counter Transference

    • 2532 Words
    • 11 Pages

    Fowler, Jeaneane D. (2012). The Bhagavad Gita: A Text and Commentary for Students. Sussex Academic Press..…

    • 2532 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The sacred Hindi text is a story of self-actualization. Arjuna is faced with an existential crisis in the beginning of the story. He questions who he is and what he wants his life to be about. He wonders if what he does with his life is more important than the people in it, whom he loves. All these questions are much more intimidating when they are being asked in battle, where if he answers a question wrong, lives are at stake. He sees his family and friends in the audience, and his anxiety level rises. He says, “My dear Krishna, seeing my friends…

    • 958 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hinduism In Modern Society

    • 1740 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Being a Hindu, growing up in a modern society, I have got this wonderful opportunity to research Hinduism in contemporary world. In this essay, I have explored Hinduism not only by juxtaposing it with modern Hinduism, but also with ancient religious practices. Modernity is not simply the western world, or connecting to contemporary and rejecting the old. Modernity, as David Smith says is theorization of modern world and according to modernity self is autonomous, and God is dead. This feature of modernity contradicts present day world. For us, yes we are autonomous, but God is still alive within us, somewhere within our heart, in the air, in water and everywhere. We are not autonomous, we are controlled by the government and our future depends…

    • 1740 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Three Paths in Hinduism

    • 1310 Words
    • 6 Pages

    There are three paths in Hinduism - the path of knowledge, the path of devotion and the path of action. The topic to be discussed in this paper is the path of devotion, or 'bhakti' in Sanskrit. Devotion is defined as, "love, loyalty, or enthusiasm for a person, activity, or cause" (Google Definitions). In the case of any religion, specifically Hinduism, this devotion is towards a God or number of gods and realizing that they are not just there to be worshipped but will also protect you and help you when you need them, creating a more personal relationship. I chose this topic because I think it is important, regardless of what religion you are, to have an utmost devotion toward whatever God or deity you are worshipping. God is the center of most religions, and without a devotion and love towards God we cannot bear the fruits of the religion, which are the qualities which that God possesses. Bhakti is a predominate theme seen in Hinduism (mostly after the Vedic times) especially in the Epics (Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana, etc.). We will discuss the path of devotion and how it is defined, practiced and brought out in Hinduism.…

    • 1310 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hinduism

    • 660 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Hinduism is one of the oldest religions in the world. It encompasses many religious traditions and beliefs and includes people from all over the world. There are many stories, hymns, passages, rituals, and sacred texts in Scriptures Of The World’s Religions about Hinduism and its beliefs of moksha, or liberation, and how to attain it.…

    • 660 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world. There are six major philosophies in the Hindu religion. One of the major one is Vedanta. Vedanta teaches that “ that man's real nature is divine, and that the aim of human life is to realize divinity through selfless work, devotion to God, control of the inner forces, and discrimination between the real and the unreal. It recognizes that Truth is one and accepts all religions, properly understood, as valid means of realizing the truth (Guidelines, 2002)”. Hindus…

    • 1756 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In _Bhagavad- Gita_, dharma and karma are two controlling forces of the ultimate destinies of the people to preserve and conserve the Hindu social order. Arjuna, the protagonist, is torn between two choices, either to perform his dharma for the emancipation of the spirit or to fight against his kin that would probably result to evil karma. He belongs to a compelling position in the Hindu social order because of his birth and occupation, making him locked up from the supposed ultimate freedom (Mack, 1995). The dharma of Arjuna complicates his status in the social hierarchy thus makes him doubtful in performing his duties and responsibilities both as a Hindu warrior and a kin. He may have the control over his spirit and he may choose to receive a good karma, but his dharma contradicts and requires him to somehow disobey his self.…

    • 904 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Bhagavad Gita is a Hindu sacred text of 7000 verses within the Mahabharata, which is commonly acknowledged as Sruti literature and talks about a battle between the two royal families. Basically, It endorses the achievement of the divine consciousness of the Supreme Lord and promotes three main yogas, which is tremendously important for achieving good and keeping our mind more concerned with mental and spiritual well-being than physical activity. Relevantly, the yoga refers to the practice of physical postures or poses and a doubtless actions for human beings to concentrate their minds and leading towards the sacred shrine. Three main yogas that are described in Bhagavad Gita are Karma yoga; a form that opposes actions which have a purpose, or are supposed to bear fruit/bring results, selfless actions, Jnana yoga; a form of yoga that liberates through knowledge, and Bhakti yoga;it advocates devotion to God. In this essay, I am going to describe what is the role of karma-yoga play in the story of the Bhagavad Gita?, What does it mean and how it is relevant to my own life?…

    • 805 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays